Panther King, Shark Queen
by LazyStargazer
Summary: The Winter War is over. Grimmjow was spared by Ichigo, but the Soul Society sees him as a danger and locked him away. Meanwhile, an experiment by Urahara restores the two Espadas, Starrk and Harribel. GrimmjowxHarribel. Rated M for possible future lemons.
1. Revival

AN: Hi everyone. This is my second fanfic ever, and I've gotten some experience with writing with my first one(which I advise reading), so I hope you'll enjoy this.

Grimmjow is one of my favorite Arrancar and I wasn't happy about how he just disappeared after the epic fight. He might be dead, but I doubt it. I don't see many GrimmxHarribel fanfics, so I'm writing my own because I think the pairing's cute.

Oh yeah, and the third main character's going to be Starrk, because he's just so cool.

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or any of its contents.

Xxx0o0xxX

He gave the chains another pull, but knew that it was meaningless. The metal was far stronger than steel, and the walls around him were made of Sekkiseki, preventing from using any reiatsu.

He was helpless. The blood around him, mementos of his torture, was dry and black, no longer reflecting the ominous light that filled the cell.

This was a fate worse than death. He was defeated by that boy, and only his will to destroy had kept him standing. He remembered his last strike foiled by the enemy, and the sudden sharp pain as he was attacked from the side.

The boy, a shinigami with a strange Hollow mask, defeated him, and would not even give him a warrior's death. He _spared_ him.

In the end, death was preferable. He was taken to the Soul Society, and was judged to be a danger to them. They sealed him in the Maggot's Nest, in the top security cells.

To be imprisoned forever.

What's worse was the torture. That skeleton-faced bastard who called himself a scientist tortured him, performed painful experiments, and even- he touched his bare right cheek- tore his mask fragment off.

It hurt. Nothing he had ever endured before compared to this.

In the time he could think, when he wasn't being tortured, or unconscious, he would consider killing himself and ending it. It would be easy to just strangle himself or smash his head against the wall. But his _pride_ would never allow it.

Still, he wanted to die. For the first time in his life, Grimmjow Jaegerjaques wanted to _die_.

The blue-haired Arrancar threw his head back and let out a long, tortured scream.

_Let me die already…_

Xxx0o0xxX

Kisuke Urahara had a curious personality. Although his morality _usually_ stopped him from doing anything that would threaten a person's life, he nonetheless possessed curiosity only expected of a researcher.

This new machine was his pride and joy. It was built using research material collected from the Winter War two years ago, and along with a little help, he had designed something he called a 'Reincarnation Machine'.

Sure, it was unstable, and could possibly break upon use or blow up the entire Karakura Town upon use, but as usual, his dangerous scientist curiosity took over.

It looked weird. Jinta said it looked 'stupid', which had earned him an entire day's worth of more work from Tessai, who had helped build it. The machine looked rather bulbous, but the point was that a body was supposed to be placed in each of the two 'compartments'. From what Urahara has researched, it was supposed to do something akin to Orihime's powers, but he has no idea whether it worked or not.

As for test subjects, those two Espada corpses he 'collected' and hid worked perfectly. He felt a little guilty using the bodies as tests, but if it worked, they'd be alive, and _hopefully _they won't be mad.

It had about a 90% chance of destroying everything and 5% chance to break, at least that's what he thinks. Urahara was lucky Yoruichi was in the Soul Society with Soifon, or she would beat him to a pulp as soon as he tries to activate it.

Not to say he didn't take precautions. Tessai was going to prepare the strongest barrier he could in case of danger, but Urahara really had no idea how large the explosion could be. The only way to know for sure was to try it out.

"OK, Tessai! Prepare the barrier, and make it as strong as possible!" the shopkeeper hopped carefully out of the zone marked with thick yellow lines, and pointed his cane at a certain part of the machine. "Hado No. 1, Sho."

The weakened Kido hit a button, causing the entire machine to shake violently. At that particular moment, Urahara was actually afraid it would actually blow up.

"Uh oh," was all he managed to say as the machine began to give off large amounts of smoke, and the hollow capsules all over the compartments began to fill up and glow. "I don't think that's supposed to happen. Hey, Tessai! You sure the barrier's strong enough?"

The former Kido Corps captain was sweating and looking as though he was about to fall over. "Manager… I'm almost at my limit. At this rate, I probably won't have enough energy to stop the machine if it really does explode. There's something strange, though. It's as if those pipes are… absorbing the reiatsu from the barrier and using it to fill those capsules."

Urahara held onto his hat to prevent it flying off. "It's draining your reiatsu? Why would it do that?" Frowning, he looked back to the machine to find that the compartments were glowing as well. "I see… I think it's because the machine needs a strong reiatsu to feed the corpses. Otherwise it'd be impossible to reincarnate them."

But he still wasn't sure whether the machine was working properly yet. After all, it had about a less than 5% chance of succeeding. He had no idea how he would explain to Yoruichi, Ichigo or anyone else if the explosion damages a large part of Karakura.

And it was pretty self-explanatory if it blew up the whole city.

"Hmm… the shaking's beginning to stop." The Reincarnation Machine gave one more violent jolt, and finally stopped. All the capsules seemed to have burst, and smoke was emitted from each one.

The barrier cracked. Tessai had used up too much energy, and was sprawled on the floor unconscious. Urahara approached the machine carefully. "Ururu! Jinta! Come down and take care of Tessai!"

"OK!" Ururu's voice echoed from the shop, and sounds of someone climbing down the ladder soon followed.

Urahara touched the machine, but quickly pulled it back once he felt the burning hot surface. He soon realized it was because it was still vibrating. It was obvious, though. The machine was broken. The experiment must have failed.

He was only half-right. A sleepy voice was heard inside one of the compartments. "Huh? What the hell? Where am I? Ouch!" A bumping sound was heard. It sounded as though the person inside had hit his head against the inside.

The shopkeeper wiped his forehead. "Phew, looks like it worked after all."

"What worked?"

Urahara froze. That female voice was all too recognizable. "Y-Yoruichi…san…" He slowly turned, gulping. _I'm dead if she finds out what I've been doing,_ he thought to himself.

Yoruichi had her arms folded, and her expression showed she was obviously not impressed. "What have you been doing, Kisuke? What's that machine?"

"U-uh…" Urahara waved his hands in front of him, "Well… you see… it's, uh… I can explain!"

The female raised an eyebrow. "Explain?"

He gulped. Out of everyone he has ever met, Yoruichi was the person that scared him the most. "It's… uh… an experiment!"

Yoruichi sighed. "I can tell it's an experiment! What have I told you, Kisuke? Don't perform experiments that you know could be dangerous! You're not Kurotsuchi, so don't act as reckless as him! I could sense the crazy reiatsu a mile away! What would have happened if you blew up something?"

Urahara looked to the floor in shame. "I know it was likely to explode…"

"Don't interrupt!" Yoruichi shouted, but turned her attention to the machine when a knock came from the inside as well as a yawn.

"Geez… what's with the yelling? And I thought I could take advantage of where I am to take a nap." Another yawn. "Anyway, since I'm all awake now, could you please let me out of here?"

Urahara walked to the compartment and put his hand on one of the handles. "Come to think of it…" Yoruichi said, more calmly this time, "What _were_ you trying to test?"

The shopkeeper grinned mischievously. "Reincarnation!"

Yoruichi ran towards Urahara and bashed him on the head. "How could you try and experiment on something like reincarnation? Are you deliberately trying to interrupt the natural cycle?"

"I wasn't trying to interrupt it… just speed up the process." Urahara replied.

The person inside the compartment knocked again. "Ahem."

Urahara grabbed the handles again, and gave a strong pull. "It's tight. Hey, Yoruichi-san, give me a hand here."

The two of them pulled the compartment open, to find a middle-aged man, with straight shoulder-length hair, and a rather sleepy face. "Thanks."

Yoruichi's eyes widened. "K-Kisuke! Isn't this…"

Urahara offered the man his hand, and pulled him out of his resting place. "Yes, this is the Arrancar and former Primera Espada, Coyote Starrk."

"Kisuke… why would you…" Yoruichi was at a loss for words. Her best friend- or one of them- had just resurrected one of the most dangerous Arrancar to ever live.

The shopkeeper was about to give a response, but Starrk responded for him. "I know what you're thinking. Don't worry, I don't have any intention on fighting. Fighting's such a bother, and the only reason I did it for Aizen was because I didn't want to die."

The two were unable to speak at first. Even Urahara was surprised. He didn't expect the reincarnated Arrancar to have retained all his memories.

He scratched his head, still looking around. "What a bother… to be honest, I would've just stayed in Los Noches that day instead of going into a war with shinigami if I had a choice. But looks like…" he felt his chest, and his neck. "I'm not even an Arrancar anymore. Now how did that happen?"

They were all interrupted again by a sudden rumbling sound as the main control of the machine started up again. However, this time it only energized the left half- the half that held the other compartment.

Yoruichi stared. "Kisuke… who's in that other one?"

Xxx0o0xxX

Tia Harribel was rarely surprised by anything.

Until she was forcibly pulled from black darkness to consciousness.

"Where… am I?" Even though this new area was dark as well, the different feelings of death and life were obvious.

"…Harribel, huh." A muffled, but familiar voice spoke out. It was that of her former comrade, Coyote Starrk.

"How's this possible?" she asked herself. With the small amount of space available, she moved her hand with difficulty to touch her face.

Her mask fragment was gone.

A sharp stab of light pierced her eyes as someone opened the compartment. Three people, only one of which she recognized.

A middle-aged man wearing green with the strangest hat she's ever seen. His face clearly shows his mischievous personality.

A dark-skinned woman with an odd hair color- purple. Her bright orange top hurt her eyes to look at, having seen nothing but darkness for an unknown amount of time.

As for the last person, it was, as she thought, Coyote Starrk. The Primera was as lazy and bored-looking as ever.

Harribel tried to speak out to them, but her voice came out strained and weak. "Why did you…"

They gave her sad looks, and helped pull her out of the compartment. She would have resisted, but her body was fatigued and lacking any energy at all. It was almost as if she were in control of a puppet with cut strings.

She was, however, grateful to see light again, after so long.

Xxx0o0xxX

AN: This introduction chapter was… difficult to write. For those of you that maybe couldn't tell, Mayuri was doing really painful things to poor Grimmjow. As for the Reincarnation Machine, some more info on it will be next chapter. I realize it may be a cliché way of resurrecting them, but I really couldn't think of another way to do it.

I'm not going to say anything about the fact that Starrk and Harribel aren't Arrancar anymore just yet. Next chapter, a lot will make sense.

Are any of the characters OOC? I thought Yoruichi may have been. Grimmjow is understandable since he's in despair after being sealed away in the Maggot's Nest for so long.

Please give me any praise/advice/comments/criticism! I love those!


	2. Second Chances

AN: Thanks for the reviews. I've just got so many ideas for this fic I don't have time to go back to my first. This chapter will be very important because it explains a lot about what just happened.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach!

Xxx0o0xxX

Tia sat silently at the table with an unbearably gloomy expression on her face. Considering the fact that she never smiled anyway, it was a wonder anyone could tell that she looked even more sour than usual.

Someone gave a little pull at her kimono. "Um… here's your tea." It was the girl, Ururu, who seemed almost afraid to approach.

She was shook out of her semi-comatose state, carefully taking the cup. "Thank you."

Ururu moved away quickly as soon as the cup was taken, and tried to leave the room as fast as she could without disturbing the four.

At the table, Urahara, Starrk and Tia sat together. "Is there something wrong, Harribel-san?" the shopkeeper in green asked.

Tia simply looked at her reflection in the teacup. "Why… did you bring me back?"

Urahara gave a deep sigh, and took off his hat, showing them the emotions that reflected in his eyes. To everybody's annoyance, his expression suddenly changed from serious to comical within an instant.

"For the experiment!" he said happily, responded with an irritated look from both of them.

The former Espada set down her cup. "Why did you save me?"

Urahara, seemingly realizing the attempt at lightening the mood was a total failure, dropped the foolish look on his face. "It's because I believed that, out of all the Arrancar, and everyone in general, the two of you were the ones that deserved saving."

Tia glared at him bitterly. "What do you mean by that? We were Aizen's pawns, we did everything he ordered, whether it was to kill shinigami or devour humans. And then we died because of it."

"That's certainly true," Urahara raised his trademark fan up to his face, "But are you any more guilty than the other Espada, who delighted and reveled in doing those acts?"

The sound of Tia clenching her teeth and balling her fists were clear in the silence. "That's why! I always thought that something about what I did was wrong, but I still did it! Doesn't that make me guilty?"

Starrk was surprised by the sudden emotional outburst, not expecting it at all. His usual lazy face was, for once, wiped off. "Tia…"

Urahara closed his fan with a snap, and pointed it directly at Tia's face. "It doesn't."

The former Espada was surprised, not at the fan pointed at her, but the way Urahara said those two words.

"You knew those acts were wrong, hence you were hesitant. That means you can be redeemed." The shopkeeper traced the bottom half of Tia's face with his fan. "I have given you the chance to do that, which was taken away from you by Aizen. You're not an Arrancar anymore. This is your second chance for living a real life, don't you understand?"

Tia looked down sorrowfully. "But…"

"Sacrifice… and Loneliness…" Urahara looked at Starrk for a second. "Those are not sins. Your fates as Hollows were not what you really deserved. As Espada, were either of you the same as the others? Craving, hungry for souls, for killing and power?"

Starrk and Tia spoke at the same time. "No."

Urahara nodded, satisfied. "Exactly. Starrk-san, to have companions, and escape your loneliness, you split your soul, just because your existence caused others to lose theirs. And Harribel-san, you didn't believe in sacrificing others to gain power, even though you knew it was a mistake that had nearly killed you, and the ones you cared for. Knowing that, could either of you still say that you are evil?"

His hand rose, covering his face with his fan again. "No, you can't. Aizen really is twisted. He used the things you wished for the most and manipulated it to turn you into his pawns. And in the end, when he believed neither of you served his purposes anymore, what did he do?"

Tia's hand moved up to her chest, at the area Aizen had cut her. "Urahara-san… do you really think that we deserve another chance as living?"

Even though the shopkeeper's face was still obscured, it seemed obvious that he was smiling. "Only you can decide that. And please refer to me less formally."

Starrk frowned. "Kisuke-san. I understand what you have said, but why… why are we now human souls?"

"Well, that…" Finally, Urahara put his fan back down. "It was a little effect from the Reincarnation Machine. You see, that thing was experimental. I really did not expect it would work properly, even though it completely broke in the process. Why you're human souls… don't forget, it's reincarnation. The machine doesn't reverse time. It just speeds up the reincarnation process. To be completely honest, I expected the result to be that the two of you came out without any memories. I only have one theory for that. A soul changes through time, which is a process completely different from reincarnation. Once the cycle is finished, that change will have turned you into a completely different person. But if reincarnation was sped up, your soul would have no time to change. I'm no expert on the cycle of life, but I think that's probably how it works."

Starrk scratched his head. "I get it… but it's such a pain putting the pieces together." He turned his eyes to Tia, and saw that she had a small smile on her face.

She blinked slowly once, her expression shifting to one more peaceful. "I've gone through one painful existence already. I want to actually _live _this time."

Starrk couldn't do anything but smile back. "Agreed. Fighting's such a pain."

Urahara watched them. "That's right. Starrk-san, there was another thing I was interested in. You had another half, didn't you? After the reincarnation, what happened to her?"

The former Primera looked grim again at the mention of Lilynette. "I don't know… but if I reincarnated, then she must've become a part of me again." He touched his heart. "I need her. I don't think I can handle loneliness again."

Tia gave her friend a pitying look, and touched his hand. "Call out to her."

Starrk closed his eyes.

_Lilynette… Lilynette…?_

Silence.

_Lilynette! If you're still there… Please call back! Lilynette!_

…_Starrk…_

Starrk gripped tighter and slammed his fist on the table. "She's there somewhere. I can hear her, if I concentrate, but I can't respond! She's there, but she can't hear me!"

Urahara looked at Starrk the same way as Tia. "Keep trying, Starrk-san. She'll hear you eventually.

Starrk nodded, while breathing deeply. "So… we're human now. What should we do?"

"I'm not sure. Karakura Town really is a wonderful place, though. Why don't you rest a while for now, and take a walk around tomorrow? After all, you might as well get to know the place you're going to live in." They heard almost annoying sound of Urahara's paper fan opening. "And I'm preparing a _surprise_ for you tomorrow." He winked.

The two former Espada sweatdropped. "I don't like the way you said 'surprise'…" Tia mumbled.

Urahara chuckled. "Well, get some rest! My shop's got plenty of space for guests, so feel free to make yourselves at home! I just hope neither of you snore, because my walls aren't soundproof."

As soon as Starrk heard that, he lay down on the floor and put his hands on his stomach, apparently too lazy to actually into the guest room.

Tia sighed, picking up the lamp and blowing out the candle.

Xxx0o0xxX

Ichigo was bored out of his mind.

He was on his way back from school, the sun was setting, and he constantly fiddled around with the Substitute Shinigami Badge in his pocket.

It was almost as if everything involving shinigami never happened. Hollow appearances have decreased _drastically_, to almost as few as a hollow every week, and on the off-chance a hollow does appear, someone else is always there, whether it was Ishida, that Kurumadani guy, or on some off-chance even Kanonji, with a dead Hollow on the floor.

School was boring as hell too. Keigo stopped badgering Ichigo all the time recently, though he still acted like a complete fool. It was his last year in high school now, and as soon as the next two terms were over, he'd be on his way to university.

Rukia hasn't been visiting recently either. She must've been busy with her new vice-captain duties. Apparently Byakuya felt that he could somewhat loosen the restraints on Rukia's position and allowed her to be the 13th Division's vice-captain. But it also meant she had a lot less time to go to the living world.

Even the Vizards weren't around anymore. They had paid Ichigo a visit before they left to the Soul Society, and threw a leaving party in his house, much to his annoyance. His dad joining in didn't help either. Shinji said that after the Winter War, the Vizards were given a full pardon and allowed to live in the Soul Society again. Ichigo was glad that he no longer had to put up with Shinji's freaky grin or Hiyori's really painful, gum-covered sandal, but after all this time, he had considered the Vizards his friends, and it was uncomfortable letting friends go.

Basically, there was nothing for him. He wished he could open a Senkaimon, and let Kon take over his body and have a holiday in the Soul Society, but without a Hell Butterfly, he'd be asking for suicide.

Then again, he was about to die of boredom anyway. Ichigo threw his head back. "Aaah… so booooring!" He had an idea. "Maybe I could pay a visit to Urahara-san. He'll know a way to relieve my boredom."

Of course, just his luck, by the time he made it to the Urahara Shop, it was 7 o'clock, and a large red 'CLOSED' sign was put onto the front door. Ichigo was so tired and annoyed, though, that instead of going home, he went around the shop without thinking, about to climb in through the window.

He looked through it first, and saw two unfamiliar faces. One was sleeping on the floor next to the table, while the other one, a woman with blonde hair, was sitting on a couch nearby, seemingly asleep, though Ichigo had never heard of a person who could actually sleep sitting down. _Who're they?_ He thought.

As quiet as he could be, he raised one leg, lifting it over the windowsill. The substitute badge dropped out of the pocket. "Oh, crap-!" It hit the ground, but luckily there was a mat there, which muffled out the sound. He gave a sigh of relief, which was replaced with a gasp of fear as it suddenly started screeching like a siren.

"SHIT!" Ichigo shouted, falling into the shop with a dull thump. He covered his mouth, and picked up the badge. "Just when I didn't want you to…"

Someone yawned in the other room, prompting Ichigo to almost _jump_ out of the shop. He landed on the outside, and was relieved- until someone grabbed him by the shoulders.

He gulped, and looked up to see none other than Tessai Tsukabishi, holding him tightly and still as a statue, except for his mouth. "What are you doing here so late at night, Kurosaki-san?" he asked calmly, but also in an intimidating way.

"Well… you see… I wasn't… uh…" Ichigo couldn't think of an acceptable response, and now that he was fully awake from the shock, he realized that he had just done something really stupid.

Ichigo was even more scared when Yoruichi's voice was heard from in the room he escaped from. "What was that noise? I'm sure I just heard someone swear…"

_Please… don't…_ Ichigo thought, but Tessai opened his mouth and bellowed at the top of his voice, "The intruder is right here, Yoruichi-dono!"

_I'm dead,_ he thought to himself as the purple-haired woman flash stepped behind him. "If it isn't Ichigo. What are you doing at Kisuke's shop so late at night?" She grinned. "Were you here to see me? Come on, be honest."

Ichigo broke free of Tessai's grip. "Hell no! I'm getting outta here!" He bolted.

Yoruichi shook her head. "Tut, tut," within an instant, she had caught up to Ichigo, tripped him over, grabbed his wrists, and sat on his back.

"You know, if you wanted to see me, you could've just knocked. I might've even shown you something nice." She teasingly pulled at her orange top, trying to infuriate him further.

"Shut up! I don't wanna see you naked ever again! Get off me!" The orange-haired boy struggled, but Yoruichi was stronger than he thought.

The woman laughed. "You shy boy, I'm only teasing." The door slid open, revealing a yawning Urahara.

"What's with this racket? Even Starrk-san woke up…" He looked surprised. "Yoruichi-san… why are you sitting on top of Kurosaki-san?"

"Meh," Yoruichi got off, but still kept her firm grip on Ichigo's wrists. "It's more comfortable than sitting on a rock."

Ichigo rubbed his back. "For you!"

"Details, details," she replied casually, waving him off. "Anyway, Kisuke and I are both pretty tired, so if you got something to say, come again tomorrow." Yoruichi looked at the badge in his hand. "Come to think of it… that badge was beeping before, wasn't it?"

Ichigo gasped, remembering the cause of this mess. "Crap! You're right! I've gotta get going now!"

They watched him run off. "You know…" Urahara whispered to Yoruichi, "I sensed Ishida-san's reiatsu getting closer to the Hollow. I guess Kurosaki-san still can't sense reiatsu properly."

Yoruichi nodded. "The silly kid."

"What's all this noise?" Starrk stepped out of the shop. "Sounded like an alarm, Kisuke."

Urahara waved his fan rapidly. "Aah, nothing, nothing! Why don't you go back to your sleep, Starrk-san! You'll need it for your surprise tomorrow!"

Starrk was happy to oblige. "Che, it seems I can never get a rest without being interrupted. Whatever. I'll just go back now."

When the former Primera was gone, Yoruichi turned her bright amber eyes to her friend. "So, Kisuke… what did you mean by surprise?"

Urahara looked back sheepishly.

Xxx0o0xxX

AN: Quite hard to write, but certainly enjoyable. Grimmjow didn't appear in this chapter, I'm sorry. I'll write something on his condition next chapter.

The Vizards went back to Soul Society. I'm wondering, should I have Rose, Shinji and Kensei take their positions as captains back? It would be interesting to write, but I'm not sure I can make a good enough reason.

As for Ichigo, he's a little OOC in this chapter, but hey, people change in two years.

Please review!


	3. Meeting

AN: 3rd Chapter is up. I'm wondering what to do with Starrk and Harribel in the future. They'll either go to the Soul Society or stay in the living world most the time. As for Grimmjow, they won't meet for a while.

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.

Xxx0o0xxX

Starrk rarely had uninterrupted naps. When Lilynette was around, she would always pound his face in while tickling him to death until he got off his lazy ass.

Now that he could sleep for as long as he wanted, he felt uncomfortable about it.

He rarely got nightmares, which was good for someone like him, but that night he dreamed of his death. With one stab, right in his Hollow hole, he heard Lilynette scream out, and then be silenced so suddenly.

Starrk moved one hand to his eyes upon waking up, rubbing them. Through one lazy eye, he saw Tia sitting on a stool above him. "…Tia?"

Her expression was sad. "You were mumbling in your sleep."

"Was I?" Starrk took Tia's offered hand and pulled himself up. "I can still hear Lilynette calling out to me. It's like some horrible nightmare. I can see her, but it's just a blur. Even when I try and call out, she doesn't respond. I hear her whispering my name, but I can't raise my voice to call back."

Tia gave a sorrowful look, helping Starrk to his feet. "Keep trying. I'm sure she'll hear you eventually." There was a moment of silence, with the only sound heard being the slow ticking of the clock. "You must be hungry. Let's go and find somewhere to eat."

"Going out is a pain… isn't there anything in the shop?" Starrk yawned as he stretched.

He was surprised to see a disgusted expression on Tia's face. "Um… there is, but everything prepared is covered with red bean paste. That Tessai-san has a very bad taste in food."

Starrk frowned. He didn't feel like walking out into the sunlight, but he remembered trying to eat red bean paste once. The taste stayed in his mouth for a week.

He groaned, and picked up a jacket nearby. "If we're going out to eat, won't we need gigais?"

Tia walked over to a cupboard, sliding the door open. "Kisuke-san prepared gigais for us last night. And…" she reached in her pocket for a tiny tube with the end shaped like a rabbit. "He said that we needed these if we wanted to get out of the bodies afterwards. I'm a little suspicious about it though…"

Starrk shrugged, putting on a top and the jacket. "It should be fine. Let's just get going."

Xxx0o0xxX

Grimmjow gave another look at the chain, tightly bound to his leg. It hurt his ankle at first, but the pain had lasted so long he learned to ignore it.

He looked at his hands. At first, desperation caused him to frantically claw at the walls, destroying his originally sharp nails. Dry blood still covered the tips of his fingers. The stinging sensation was more bearable, but still noticeable.

It was a miserable existence in this cage, worse than anything he had ever experienced. Grimmjow saw himself as a wild spirit, and confinement for a wild beast was the worst condition he could be in.

The only way to tell time was through that pathetic little window. The shape of the cell reminded him of the one that human girl was in, but her living conditions then were infinitely better.

For Grimmjow, it was as if nobody cared whether he lived or died.

He hated the Soul Society, the shinigami in it, the souls inhabiting it. He wanted to destroy. The power to destroy all of it if he could.

But he wasn't sure if he _truly_ wanted to. It hurt. It was almost as if having a taste of what pain he has inflicted upon others was returned to him. He thought it was a fate that nobody deserved.

Grimmjow wanted to be free. Whether that meant leaving this cell alive or dead, he didn't care. The only thing he cared about was that he could escape this imprisonment.

He wouldn't kill himself. He still had some pride. It was all he had left. But he believed, that if he could hold on for just a little longer, the way to freedom would appear before his eyes.

As impatient as he was, Grimmjow still decided to wait.

Xxx0o0xxX

Starrk and Tia were sitting at a table outside of a café, drinking tea and watching the puffy white clouds overhead pass by.

The clouds in Hueco Mundo never seemed to move. It was as if even those clouds were dead. They were still uncomfortable in being in somewhere so colorful, so much chatter, so _alive_.

"The tea here isn't nearly as good as what we drank at Los Noches." Starrk mumbled, shaking the cup slightly.

Tia said nothing. While she was not looking back, Starrk took a closer look at her. They didn't know each other well while they were Arrancar. He could read her face so much more clearly without her mask covering her face.

But, Starrk looked more carefully. That peaceful expression was never seen on her as an Arrancar. As an evolved Hollow, she was always silent, alert, tense. He had never seen her look relaxed like she did now.

Starrk almost fell backwards when Tia looked back and raised an eyebrow, catching him off guard. He soon realized that she wasn't looking at him.

A waitress was carrying a small tray. "Um… here are your ordered meals." Starrk turned his tired grey eyes to look at her. "Thanks," he replied, moving aside.

As the girl was leaving, she gave a slight blush and a giggle, resulting in a slight laugh from Tia.

"It looks like that girl's got her eye on you." She teased slightly, pulling the tray towards her.

Starrk casually leaned back on his chair. "Huh? That's just weird." He scratched the stubble on his chin. "I'm not really interested in stuff like that."

The morning passed slowly, until the sudden beep in his pocket.

"Huh?" Starrk reached for the beeping device, which turned out to be a cell phone. "What the hell is this? How did it get in my pocket?" Without reading the tiny letters closely, he pressed a flashing button, and raised the phone to his ear.

"HELLO, IS IT STARRK-SAN?" Urahara's voice boomed out.

At the first word that burst out from the phone, Starrk had flinched and almost dropped it. Annoyed, he held it close to his mouth. "Why are you shouting so loudly, Kisuke? Are you trying to make me deaf?"

"HUH? I'M SPEAKING… WAIT, HAVE YOU GOT IT ON SPEAKER, STARRK-SAN?" Urahara's voice replied.

Starrk, confused, scratched his head. "Eh? Speaker?"

"PRESS THE LITTLE GREEN BUTTON! THE GREEN ONE!"

Tia impatiently took the phone and pressed the button, turning the speaker off. "What do you want, Kisuke-san?"

"Well," Urahara chuckled for a bit. "I'd like Starrk-san and Harribel-san to come back to the Urahara Shop. I've got your surprise ready! And bring your gigais with you!"

A beep signaled the end of the call. The two looked at each other for a second.

"I've got a bad feeling about Kisuke's 'surprise'."

Tia nodded. "But we should at least go back and see what he's planning."

Xxx0o0xxX

"Tessai! You sure those are the right sizes?"

"Hai, Manager. I've double checked the sizes from the measurements taken from Starrk-dono and Harribel-dono last night."

"So, Ururu, remind me why we're making those two go to…"

"Shh! Don't say it so loudly, Jinta! They might be outside already!"

"They're here, Manager."

Starrk and Tia were standing outside the Urahara Shop, shuffling their feet nervously. Neither of them were very enthusiastic about Urahara's 'surprise'.

"Aah, you're here so quickly, Starrk-san, Harribel-san! Good thing we're all ready!" Urahara cheerfully strolled out of the shop, fanning himself.

Starrk yawned. "Well, what did you call us here for, Kisuke? I'm kind of tired and an afternoon nap would be nice."

Urahara waved his fan towards him this time. "Oh no, there'll be no time for naps, Starrk-san! You see, Yoruichi-san and I discussed the matter on you two staying in the living world, and we decided it would be a good learning experience to send you to _High School!_"

The two former Espada froze. "H-huh?"

"There's nothing to be worried about! I'm sure intelligent people like you would do great in school!" the shopkeeper added loudly, with the foolish grin on his face.

Tia looked like she was about to pass out. "We… we can't possibly go to _high school_!"

"Don't be silly!" Urahara rebutted, almost sticking his fan in Tia's face. "There's no better way to learn about the living world and its customs than to go to school and mingle with its students!"

Starrk scratched his head. "But it would be…"

Urahara looked at his watch, which suddenly began beeping an extremely obscene tune. "Oh no! It's nearly time to go! You don't have time to be standing around! Go on, get going!"

Before either of them had time to argue, they were picked up by the enormous Tessai and being carried on their way to the Karakura High School.

Xxx0o0xxX

"Geez… what is wrong with that Kisuke?" Starrk pulled at the collar of his school uniform, having been forced to change into it while being guarded by a two meter tall man.

Tia looked at her top, having a feeling that the fact that it was not big enough to cover her cleavage was intentional. _Freaking pervert…_ she thought, then scolded herself for cussing.

Starrk looked around at the corridors. Many eyes seemed to be looking at them, or more specifically, at Tia.

The school bell rang loudly. Students picked up their bags and entered their respective classrooms, leaving Tia and Starrk outside.

"Hey!" a female voice surprised them from the doorway of one of the classrooms. "You two… you're the new students, aren't you?" She took one look at her clipboard. "Coyote Starrk… and Tia Harribel, is that it?"

They nodded. "Uh… hai,"

The teacher grinned. "Great! I'm Misato Ochi, your sensei for the next year of school! A piece of advice, most of the boys in the class are hooligans and brats, and nice ladies like you-"she patted Tia on the head, "-should stay clear of them, got it?"

Tia stared for a moment in stunned shock. "Uh… I understand."

"Alright!" she slapped her clipboard down- coincidentally hitting Starrk on the head, knocking him from his daydream, and began to walk back into the classroom.

Xxx0o0xxX

Ichigo was lazily leaning on his arm. School was so boring without the occasional Hollow showing up, and coursework was just hard enough to be annoying, but not hard enough to be interesting.

He yawned, but cut himself off when he noticed two people outside. The brown-haired student looked a little older than him, but it might have just been the goatee. As for the shorter woman, he couldn't help be attracted to her appearance at first, but noticed some sort of mature charm from her appearance.

Mostly he was looking at the bored looking boy. There was something familiar about him, but he couldn't place the face and the time.

"Whatever…" he turned his eyes back to the textbook. "I must just be bored to death."

Ochi-sensei returned to the class. "Ok, class, please stop what you're doing for now." All eyes turned to look at the teacher. "We have two more students joining our class today, please welcome them!"

The two strange students followed Ochi-sensei into the classroom. "This is Coyote Starrk-san, and the lady here is Tia Harribel-san! Please make them feel welcome!"

Chatter spread amongst the students.

"_Coyote Starrk? What kind of a name is Coyote?"_

"_Look at that dark-skinned babe! Her 'things' are as large as Orihime-chan's!"_

"_That boy looks like he's going to fall asleep any moment…"_

"_What's with that weird goatee?"_

Ichigo blinked, mostly uninterested. Many of the boys were ogling Harribel, greatly annoying him. It seemed as though that part of their personalities haven't changed.

The mention of Orihime, though, alerted him. Ishida and Chad were around, but Orihime wasn't in school.

"Hey, Arisawa, what happened to Orihime-chan?" Keigo asked, behind Ichigo.

"Well…" Tatsuki scratched her head. "I called her last night, and she sounded like she was sick with the flu or something. She probably tried to eat one of her really sickening recipes again and got ill."

Ichigo let go of his breath. It sounded like Inoue was mostly fine.

_Wait… Inoue…_

_Back in Hueco Mundo… that time…_

Xxx0o0xxX

"_Sorry. I really don't want to do this, but…"_

_The Arrancar grabbed Inoue, and not even Tensa Zangetsu's speed could catch up._

"_I'm just going to borrow her."_

Xxx0o0xxX

_HIM!_

Instinctively, he jumped from his seat, and violently leaped at Starrk, grabbing him by the collar and dragged him out of the classroom, slamming him against some lockers at the end of the corridor.

"You! I remember you! Why the hell are you here?"

Starrk simply looked back lazily.

Xxx0o0xxX

AN: That flashback was from the only time Ichigo ever saw Starrk. He's pretty annoyed that an Arrancar just suddenly appears in class. I hope that was good enough of a cliffy.

Grimmjow's starting to get less destructive, now that he knows what it's like. I hope nobody was too OOC in this chapter, but like I said, people change in two years.

I hoped you enjoyed, and please review!


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